North Korea clarifies nuclear doctrine

RT – September 9, 2022

North Korea has issued a document outlining its approach to nuclear warfare, warning it will not hesitate to use the bomb if it perceives threats to its senior leadership or “important strategic targets,” state media has reported.

A statement on the “nuclear force policy of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” was carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Friday, noting that while the government considers nuclear weapons a “last resort,” it would deploy them to prevent “aggression that seriously threatens the security of the state and people.”

The policy document went on to note that Pyongyang would launch a preemptive strike “automatically and immediately” if officials believe “the command and control system for the national nuclear force is in danger due to an attack by hostile forces.”

While the statement stressed that North Korea “does not threaten or use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear countries,” it warned it would forcefully respond to aggression, or to nations threatening the DPRK by “colluding with other nuclear-armed states.” It named five scenarios under which the military might launch a nuclear strike, including when the country is threatened with weapons of mass destruction, when leaders or “important strategic targets” come under attack, in the case of “an unavoidable operational necessity to prevent the expansion and prolongation of war,” or in response to any other “catastrophic crisis” that endangers the nation or its people.

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US Says NKorea Could Be Ready to Conduct Nuclear Test This Month

Newsmax – May 6, 2022

North Korea has recently stepped up weapons tests and resumed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches this year for the first time since 2017.

It has not tested a nuclear bomb since 2017, but U.S. and South Korean officials have been saying for weeks that there are signs of new construction at Punggye-ri, North Korea’s only known nuclear test site, and that Pyongyang could soon test another bomb.

Punggye-ri has been officially closed since 2018 and Porter’s statement that the site could be ready this month was more specific as to possible timing of a test and was the first such statement on the record from a U.S. official.

“The United States assesses that the DPRK is preparing its Punggye-ri test site and could be ready to conduct a test there as early as this month, which would be its seventh test,” she told a regular briefing referring to North Korea by the initials of its official name.

“This assessment is consistent with DPRK’s own recent public statements. We’ve shared this information with allies and partners and will continue closely coordinating with them as well,” Porter said.

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